From adversity to achievement: PM Modi lauds India’s vaccination journey
New Delhi, Oct 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday termed the country's inoculation drive against the deadly coronavirus as a journey from "anxiety to assurance".
In an opinion piece, PM Modi noted that the feat was achieved in nine months despite many doubting the country's capability, and asserted that his government ensured that, like its other schemes, there is no "VIP culture" in the vaccination drive either.
Administering 100 crore doses of vaccines in just about nine months since the vaccination started has been a tremendous journey in dealing with the disease, the prime minister said, noting that humanity was dealing with such a pandemic after 100 years and no one knew much about the virus following its outbreak in early 2020.
"We
remember
how
unpredictable
the
situation
appeared
then,
as
we
were
faced
by
an
unknown
and
invisible
enemy
mutating
rapidly.
The
journey
from
anxiety
to
assurance
has
happened
and
our
nation
has
emerged
stronger,
thanks
to
the
world's
largest
vaccination
drive,"
he
said.
"One
of
the
reasons
for
the
success
of
the
campaign
was
the
trust
that
people
developed
in
the
vaccine
and
the
process
followed,
despite
various
efforts
to
create
mistrust
and
panic,"
he
added.
Describing the exercise as "bhagirath" (gigantic) effort involving multiple sections of society, he pointed out that if it is assumed that a healthcare worker took just two minutes for every vaccination then at this rate it took around 41 lakh man days or approximately 11-thousand-man years of effort to reach this landmark of 100 crore doses.
"There are some among us who only trust foreign brands, even for simply everyday necessities. However, when it came to something as crucial as the COVID-19 vaccine, the people of India unanimously trusted 'Made in India' vaccines. This is a significant paradigm shift," he said.
India's vaccine drive, Modi added, is an example of what the country can achieve if the citizens and the government come together with a common goal in the spirit of "Jan Bhagidari" (people's participation).
Noting that only a handful of countries have developed their own vaccines so far, he said more than 180 countries are dependent on an extremely limited pool of producers and dozens of nations are still waiting for the supply of vaccines while India has crossed 100 crore doses.
India has a protective shield of 100 crore vaccine doses: PM Modi
"Imagine the situation if India did not have its own vaccine," he said. He expressed hope that the success of the vaccination drive will further spur India's youth, innovators and all levels of government to set new benchmarks of public service delivery which will be a model not only for our country, but also for the world.
"When India started its vaccination programme, there were many people who doubted the capabilities of 130 crore Indians. Some said India would take 3-4 years. Some others said people will not come forward to get vaccinated. There were those who said there will be gross mismanagement and chaos in the vaccination process," he said.
Some even said that India will not be able to manage supply chains, he added, asserting that like the 'Janta Curfew' and subsequent lockdowns, people of India showed how spectacular the results can be, if they are made trusted partners.
PM
Modi
said
people
used
to
see
governments
as
a
roadblock
to
forward
movement
but
his
government
has
instead
been
an
accelerator
and
enabler
of
progress.
All
ministries
of
the
government
came
together
to
facilitate
the
vaccine
makers
and
remove
any
bottlenecks
as
a
result
of
our
'whole
of
Government'
approach,
he
said.
All
these
efforts,
he
said,
were
complemented
by
a
robust
tech
platform
in
CoWIN.
"It ensured that the vaccine drive was equitable, scalable, trackable and transparent. This ensured that there was no scope for favouritism or jumping the queue. It also ensured that a poor worker could take first dose in his village and the second dose of the same vaccine in the city where he works, after the required time interval," he said, adding that there are hardly any examples of such efforts not only in India but also the world.
"Our vaccination drive has yet again showed the power of this 'Team India'," the prime minister said, recalling his Independence Day speech in 2015, and asserted that India's success in its vaccination drive has also demonstrated to the whole world that "democracy can deliver".